


Barely Breathing

by WindyAzul



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood, Blood and Gore, Gore, Graphic Violence, Insanity, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, mm yup super fun stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 18:04:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12064218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindyAzul/pseuds/WindyAzul
Summary: Basically a Zombie AU, where Bill is crazy, Dipper is freaking out, and Mabel is nowhere to be seen.





	Barely Breathing

**Author's Note:**

> hiya, windy speaking~ i really like zombie aus for some reason, and im literally so obsessed with them that i decided to contribute my own fanfic ayyy~ special thanks to lovelybedhead for deciding to be my editor throughout the entirety of this fanfic!! check them out at lovelybedhead.tumblr.com , and you can also check out mistyheir.tumblr.com for possible update progresses and bad fanart!

Dipper Pines was a curious human being, and had a knack for trouble. 

 

He constantly explored the mysteries of his tiny hometown, such as why his twin sister, Mabel Pines, fell in love with a different boy each week, and why his socks kept going missing. But, one of the greatest mysteries of all lied in the forest next to the tourist trap he called home, and that’s where he spent most of his time. Day in and day out, Dipper would go explore the wonders of the magical forest, and sometimes even bring his sister along. There was so much to explore, and he found countless mysteries every time he stepped into the domain. The smell of pine needles would always hit him, and it soon became a welcoming scent. He would walk along a worn trail that he had practically made himself, each step bringing him closer to an unsolvable anomaly. He would drift towards the unexplainable, swaying back and forth at the mere thought of it. It made his head spin with inquiry and yearn for knowledge. He's never seen anything "weird", sure, but he knew it was out there. And that's what he was searching for. He's caught traces of the supernatural in the forest multiple times, all from fairy wings to the hair of a werewolf. He thrived in all things unnatural, and that's where he was at his best.

 

So, maybe that's why he wasn't too surprised when a swarm of zombies infiltrated the mall and began to eat any helpless victim they could find.

 

But, before that moment in time, Dipper was just a normal eighteen year old on a mall trip with his sister. 

  
  


Mabel loved the mall, usually spending her time there with her best friend Pacifica. But, she was busy this weekend, so Dipper was her next choice. He was fun to be around, when we wasn't being a hermit and chewing on pen caps while thinking of the mysteries of their hometown. It was funny how different they were, though they looked so similar and were twins. Mabel had a bubbling personality with the ability to captivate anyone she met. Meanwhile, Dipper had a fear of social interaction and was one of the most awkward human beings a person could ever meet. Mabel tended to wear bright colored clothes, sewing a beautiful sweater every day to match her mood. Dipper, on the other hand, threw on whatever he could find; usually it was a flannel and a pair of jeans, complete with his lucky cap. His hair was constantly a mess of curly chestnut brown locks tucked under said hat, while Mabel kept her beautiful wavy hair tucked neatly behind a headband. Today, she was wearing a magenta headband, matching the violet on her sweater that read "You're the cat's meow!" It had a picture of a kitten knitted on it as well. She completed her outfit with a short skirt matching her headband, and a pair of white flats. While Mabel looked like a heart throb, Dipper looked like a heart stopper. He was a mess today, having stayed up the night before writing in a journal about the supernatural. It was obvious with the heavy bags under his chocolate irises and disheveled hair. The red and black flannel he threw on was missing a button, and the jeans he was wearing had a stain on them. Even the white shoes he wore were stained with mud, making them look more brown than white. The two twins were walking around the mall, Mabel dragging Dipper around while he groaned in protest.

 

"If you didn't want to come, you could've just said so, Dipper!" Mabel huffed, releasing her hold on Dipper's arm and spinning around to meet his eyes. Dipper sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

"Sorry, Mabel. I guess I'm just tired and cranky," he joked a little, removing the hand from his neck and shoving it in his back pocket. She rolled her eyes.

 

"I keep telling you to lay off the all-nighters! You better start taking better care of yourself, or I'll inject Mabel Juice into your bloodstream in order to give you more energy," she stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed nervously. He really did hope Mabel was joking; her Mabel Juice was a hundred times more powerful and more colorful than coffee. Last time he had a sip, he coughed out glitter and plastic stars for a week. But, admittedly, he did have more energy. Not that he’d ever admit that to Mabel though.

 

"Alright, alright. What store do you want to go in, Mabes?" He asked, a little desperate to change the subject. Thankfully, Mabel didn't notice and was happy to point out a cute little clothes store nearby. She took Dipper's hand once more and dragged him into the store, but this time he didn't protest.

 

They were welcomed by a nice smell of lavender as soon as they stepped onto the birch flooring of the store. Dipper didn't catch the name, but by the looks of it it looked like they sold a lot of graphic t-shirts for all genders. Mabel let out a squeal as she went over to a nearby rack and pulled out a band t-shirt, which was one of Sev'ral Timez. Dipper led out a groan as Mabel's smile grew, taking the shirt and throwing it over her forearm.

 

"I'm gonna go try this on. Stay here and look at some cool and hip shirts, I'll be right back!" She exclaimed, running in the direction of a changing room. Dipper rolled his eyes, a soft smile playing at his lips. His sister never changed. He did what Mabel told him to do, going to a nearby display and looking at the shirts. He found one that looked a little interesting: A pug that was lying on its back eating a taco while high. It was so incredibly random that he just had to pick it up, and he wasn't sure why. As he attempted to grab the black cotton fabric, he accidentally grabbed a stranger's hand who was trying to take the same shirt he was. Immediately he let out a squeak, retracting his hand and whipping his head up to apologize to whoever's hand he just touched. Instead, he locked eyes with a cute boy. A very cute boy. Oh no, this boy was hot. He felt his face heat up a little when the boy smiled at him, golden eyes seemingly looking him up and down. Or, should he say, golden eye? He couldn't see his other eye due to his bangs covering it, and he wasn't sure if he even had another eye.

 

"Wow, guess we both have a super weird taste in shirts?" The stranger remarked and laughed a little, gesturing towards the weird design on the t-shirt. Dipper felt himself laugh as well, feeling more relaxed in the conversation. 

 

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Dipper responded to the stranger's remark, picking up a t-shirt after him.

 

"I'm Bill. And, you are?" The teenager, Bill, introduced himself, giving Dipper a loose grin. He was very handsome, with a strong jawline and a perfectly symmetrical face. It looked almost unreal. Looking back at Bill’s eye, Dipper wasn't sure if he was wearing contacts or not, but if he wasn't he'd want to know where he got such a strange eye color from. Bill also had smooth tan skin, and there was a bunch of weird designs inked into it. Is that Latin? He'd have to get a closer look. The tattoos look like they expanded further up his arm, but the rest of it was covered by Bill's white dress shirt. The blonde must've noticed Dipper staring at him, since he let out a cough and a little wave.

 

"My eyes are up here, Pine Tree." Dipper blushed, letting out an awkward laugh and nervously fidgeting with the graphic t-shirt he was holding.

 

"Oh, sorry. Wait, Pine Tree?" He inquired about the strange nickname. Bill gestured to his hat, which Dipper instinctively touched.

 

"Your hat. That's a pine, right? It looks pretty cool,” Bill remarked. Dipper smiled, letting go of it and going back to fidgeting with the shirt.

 

"Oh, thanks. It was a gift from my, uh, great uncle. My name's Dipper." He answered Bill's question finally, and let out a nervous grin. God, he hated talking to people he didn't know very well. He was so awkward it hurt. It was especially worse when the person he was trying to talk to was attractive, such as Bill. Luckily, the gods must've taken pity on this awkward eighteen year old; Mabel came trotting back to him with a shopping bag around her wrist and a huge smiling on her face. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but she shut it tight when she saw who Dipper was attempting to talk to. The smile on her face got even wider. She started approaching even faster. Oh no. He took it back. The gods obviously hate him.

 

"Dipper!~ Who's your friend?" Mabel slung her free arm over Dipper's shoulder, glancing at his new "friend". Dipper started to sweat as Mabel began to nudge him more and more, obviously wanting to know more about this mysterious stranger. Before Bill could say anything, Dipper squeaked out an answer.

 

"Mabel! Hey, do you wanna go eat lunch? I'm pretty hungry!" He was practically yelling at this point, trying to pry her away from Bill. Once she got a hot boy in her sights, she was just like a cheetah stalking its prey. On one hand, it was funny. But, on another hand, he was not letting Mabel lay her hands on Bill. Mabel seemed to catch the hint Dipper was strongly trying to give her, and she could obviously see what was going on between them. Her smile became predator-like, letting go of Dipper's shoulder and slinking over to Bill. 

 

"Yeah, I guess I am a little hungry. Hey, why not bring your new  _ friend  _ with us?" She snickered. Bill was completely oblivious to their internal sibling conflict, which was for the best. Knowing Mabel would never forgive him if he denied her request, he sighed and decided to do the only right thing.

 

"... Bill, do you want to come eat lunch with us?" Bill’s eye lit up when Dipper asked him, obviously happy with the request.

 

“Sounds fun! We can eat here in the mall food court; they have a little bit of everything.” He grinned, smile almost as wide as Mabels. How was that even possible? “Oh, just give me a second, I gotta buy this shirt. Be right back!” He trotted towards the register. Once he was out of earshot, Mabel grabbed Dipper’s shoulders and started swing him back and forth.

 

“Dipper! You made a friend! A really hot friend! I was gone for like, not even five minutes! Oh my god, do you like him? I can be your wingman, bro-bro!” Dipper let out a loud groan, pushing his sister away. 

 

“Mabel, no. No more of your wingman shit. You’re really bad at it,” he said bluntly, and he was exactly right. Mabel’s idea of a wingman is basically blurting out, ‘hey, my brother thinks you’re cute!’ and throwing confetti everywhere. Needless to say, it almost never works. But, even so, Mabel pouted at Dipper and gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

 

“Aw, c’mon, Dipping Sauce! I’ve been reading this book called ‘101 Ways to Set your Goat up Romantically’, and this is basically the same thing! I promise I won’t come on too strong! Please?” Dipper sighed, knowing where this was going to end up.

 

“... Alright, fine. Just, don’t do anything stupid.” Mabel squealed and hugged him, jumping up and down excitedly and almost knocking Dipper off his feet. They heard someone clear their throat from behind them, and there stood Bill.

 

“Did I miss something?” He gestured towards Mabel’s almost chokehold on Dipper, causing her to release her brother. He coughed a few times, but brushed it off and hid it with a nervous laugh.

 

“N-Nope, nothing. Let’s get going, shall we?” Dipper practically ran out of the store, but Bill just simply shrugged and followed him out with Mabel.

  
  


“So, Bill, do you have any hobbies?” 

 

The trio had sat down at a rather reclusive spot in the food court, far away from the other shoppers in the mall. There were about six food stalls around them, and each stall sold very different food. Dipper bought a hard taco and was currently trying to figure out the best method to eat it without making a mess. Mabel, on the other hand, simply got a slice of pizza and was cutting it up with a plastic fork and knife. Lastly, Bill got a bag of Doritos and was munching on it while keeping a conversation going with Mabel. Dipper refused to even look at Bill, twiddling his thumbs while his leg bounced up and down. It was obvious he was anxious about the entire situation. He sat right in front of him, while Mabel sat next to Bill and kept sneaking a Dorito every now and then. 

 

“Well, Shooting Star, in my free time I like torturing the souls of the innocent in my free time! Oh, and I also play the piano.” Mabel laughed, but Dipper could tell it was a bit forced. Bill’s personality and sense of humor was unique and pretty dark, so he wasn’t Mabel’s type. But, Dipper found him interesting and actually funny. So, he let out a snort at Bill’s joke, and he could tell that his blonde companion was a bit surprised. “Wow, most people don’t really get my sense of humor, Pine Tree.”

 

“I can see why,” he chuckled, taking a sip of his soda. Mabel glanced at the two of them excitedly, and quickly wolfed down her pizza. 

 

“Oh no, looks like my pizzas all gone. I’m going to go get another one. I’ll be right back!” She winked at Dipper and jogged towards the pizza stall, which had a decently large line. Dammit Mabel, Dipper knew exactly what she was planning. He let out a cough and took a bite out of his taco, carefully making sure it didn’t make that big of a mess. It didn’t.

 

“Your sister’s really something,” Bill noted, watching her leave and get a good spot in line. A group of boys let her in front of them.

 

“Oh, yeah, I guess she is,” Dipper responded, disappointed. To him, it seemed like Bill was pining after his sister. Which was nothing new. A lot of people preferred her to him, as she was definitely prettier and had a bigger personality. Bill seemed to notice his degected stature and realized his mistake.

 

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, Dipper. I prefer guys. I’m just saying that you don’t see somebody that happy to wait in a line for ten minutes every day,” he chuckled, placing his elbows on the table and looking at his brunette friend with a feline-like smile. Dipper’s face immediately lit up in flames. Oh god, was Bill flirting with him?

 

“O-Oh, uhm? Yeah, that’s Mabel for you.” He tried to brush off Bill’s comment, but it looked like Bill wasn’t having it. 

 

“So, what kind of people are you into, Pine Tree?” He pushed the subject, inching a little closer across the table to Dipper. He scooted back, face beet red.

 

“Uh, nothing in particular. I guess I like people with a good sense of humor?” He replied nervously.

 

“Anything else?”

 

“... Pretty eyes?”

 

Bill’s golden eye was practically sparkling. He laughed and leaned back in his chair, pulling a pen from out of his pocket and scribbling something on a nearby napkin. He slid it across the table, right next to Dipper’s taco.

 

_ Call me, Pine Tree! _

_ 666-3420  _

_ -Bill _

 

Next to Bill’s signature, he drew a tiny triangle and a few hearts. Obviously, this was his number.

 

“I like you, kid. I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you again, this time just us,” he winked , and Dipper thought he was going to catch on fire.

 

“Oh, uh-” Dipper was about to say something, but he was cut off by a loud, piercing scream. It grabbed the attention of everyone inside of the food court. A man laid on the floor of the mall motionless, his left arm bleeding profusely. The sickly liquid gushed out of his arm like a waterfall, staining the white tile below him. Mabel jogged to their table, practically dropping her new pizza slice on the table and running over to help the guy. “Mabel, wait!”

 

“I’m gonna see if he’s okay!” Mabel shouted back to Dipper, dropping to her knees and looking the guy over. He started convulsing as soon as she touched him, blood dripping down his chin and plopping down on her legs. She backed away from him as soon as another guy came to replace her, carrying a first aid kit.

 

“Sir, are you alright? What is your name?” There was no response, only a sickeningly grotesque sound that reminded Dipper of a deer shot in it’s throat. And then, nothing. All traces of the light hearted atmosphere were gone, and everyone was staring at the dead man in the middle of the mall.

 

His hand twitched.

 

The corpse jumped off the ground, letting out a blood curdling scream as he tackled the nearest shopper and tore into her neck, blood spurting from the wound. She shrieked as he bit off a huge chunk of flesh, ripping out her tendons and gulping them down. She collapsed onto the ground, blood smeared down her shirt and onto the floor. Dipper felt her pain in his bones, he felt the man's teeth scraping against his flesh. Even though none of it was happening to him, he could feel it. The dead man continued to feast on her flesh, tearing into her back with his grimy hands and ripping out whatever organ would come. He gouged them down, one by one, tongue lapping up each and every piece that was left behind. He tore a piece off of an unrecognizable organ with his teeth, scarlet liquid squirting out of it until he swallowed it whole.

 

Bill was the first to come to his senses. He grabbed Dipper’s hand and ran. It took a second for Dipper to realize what he was doing, and immediately he tried to resist.

 

“What the fuck are you doing? We need to get Mabel!” He yelled, doing his best to run the opposite way back to the hoard. Bill was having none of it. He swooped around and grabbed Dipper roughly by his hips, threw him over his shoulder and ran as fast as he could towards the back of the mall. Dipper began to scream, dug his nails into Bill’s back and tried to get free.

 

“Let go of me!” Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, “Mabel!” He screeched. Around them, civilians screamed and ran in mass panic. A horde of them ran towards the mall doors, prying them open and pushed themselves out. But, that didn’t last for long. More of those... things, pushed their way into the mall, clawing and attacking whoever they could get their blood stained hands on. 

 

Bill dove into the nearest store he could find and pushed Dipper in. He stood up and grabbed the gate used to close the store, slamming it down with all of his might. Luckily, the store he chose didn’t have any windows. The gate had holes in it, but it still seemed sturdy. Dipper made his way over to Bill and grabbed his collar, pulling him down to his height. He was practically seething at the mouth with rage.

 

“Y-You! You left Mabel out there to die! I can’t believe you!” He raised one of his fists high in the air, but before it could make contact with Bill’s jaw he grabbed it.

 

“You would’ve died out there trying to protect her, Pine Tree. I was trying to protect you!” He put Dipper’s hand down by his side, watching as his face melted from anger to pure sadness.

 

Outside of the gate, the mall was in chaos. Hundreds of those monsters plagued the area, feasting on whoever was unlucky enough to get caught in their grasp. Bill and Dipper watched as a women shielded her child from one of those creatures, falling victim to it and crashing down on the floor. She pushed her child to go on without her, but he was having none of it. Snot poured out of his nose as big fat tears rolled down his cheeks, weeping for his mother. He took her hand and attempted to pull her free, but the mother pushed him once more until he started running. Immediately, he was grabbed by a corpse. Dipper couldn’t watch what happened next.

 

The tiles were stained a deep red. A young woman jumped in front of their gate and curled her fingers around the metal, repeatedly shaking it and hoping to make it budge.

 

“Please, let me in! I don’t want to die, please! Please!” She was screaming at the top of her lungs, trying to pry open the gate as if it was the only thing she could do. Dipper attempted to lift the gate up, but Bill pushed him away.

 

“We need to save her!” He pleaded, looking at Bill, horrified. Bill gestured to the obvious bite mark on her leg. He guided him into back in the store, away from the gate. 

 

“What are you doing? Save me, you assholes! I don’t want to die!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. Fat tears were pouring down her face as she choked out a sob, giving the gates a weak shake. “Please…”

 

She only let go of the gate when one of those monsters sunk it’s teeth into her shoulder, causing her to screech and stagger backwards. The living corpse took the opportunity to knock her down, holding her as he pushed his disgusting nails into her stomach and pulled away her flesh all too easily. No one could have been that strong. No  _ human _ could do this. But they weren't humans anymore. They… were monsters. He pulled out her large intestine and continue to delve deeper into her insides as if he was searching for the best part to eat, and Dipper could practically feel the pain and suffering the women was going through. Blood pooled her body. The screams were so loud, echoing throughout Dipper’s head as he watched. Tears were rolling down his face, and he only looked away to puke on the floor next to him. Saliva trickled down his pursed lips while tears continued to roll down his face in big clumps. He wiped his mouth with a sweaty palm, vomit chunks and spit followed. 

 

Dipper looked up at Bill.

 

He was smiling.


End file.
